RESIDENTS of a flats complex have been landed with a whacking bill for £5,500 each for new windows, whether they need them or not.

The company which owns Deaconess Court, Ilkley, has been accused of behaving in an "uncaring way" towards residents.

Accent Property Solutions has told the residents of 31 flats that new window frames will have to be fitted at a cost of £5,500 each unit.

Residents who rent their homes from the company won't have to pay it but the unlucky 13 householders who have bought the leasehold of their property will, because they are jointly responsible for the upkeep of the building.

Leaseholders who have already paid for their own replacement windows will also get a bill despite not having any work done.

The company has also told the residents that because part of the complex on Queen's Road is Listed, the window frames will have to be expensive wood, needing regular painting and will not be as long lasting as UPVC.

Worried residents contacted District Councillor Martin Smith (Con) for help. He has described the figure of £5,500 each as ridiculous' and has insisted that because only the unoccupied tower of the building is Listed, planners would accept UPVC windows in the rest of the complex, resulting in a lower cost.

Coun Smith said: "It is absolutely wrong. You have got to make a profit and keep your property up to standard, but not like this.

"You are making the leaseholders pay for the rest of them. Why don't they let them pay for it in an appropriate time scale. It is nearly three times as expensive as it could be because they have not challenged the planners."

One leaseholder said: "I have three metal framed windows. They do want replacing and I would have done it with UPVC.

"I think they have just got a quote for the wood frames and thought that will do' and they will carry on with it. I think it is very unfair. It should be divided by the number of windows you have got."

Deaconess resident Frazer Irwin is a tenant so does not have to pay, but supports the leaseholders. He said: "It is costing more money than it should. I think it could be done a different way."

A spokesman for Accent Property Solutions said: "The senior planning officer confirmed that an application for UPVC windows would result in the planners being likely to recommend refusal'.

"Based on this, it seemed unwise to apply for planning for UPVC windows as, the costs associated with the unsuccessful application would have been apportioned to leaseholders.

"If the council is saying that UPVC would be acceptable to the planning authority, against the previous advice we have had from them, then we would consider making a submission.

"However, we need to make it clear that the need for scaffolding and the access difficulties would still arise. This would result in only marginal savings to leaseholders, although we accept that there would be savings in the longer term.

"The fact that leaseholders should pay per flat, as opposed to per window, is dictated by their leases and cannot be apportioned by any other method, unless all leaseholders agree to go down the very costly route of a lease variation.

"We refute totally any suggestion that leaseholders are being overcharged. Our policy is to accept the lowest tender that we receive."

"We know that some leaseholders have already had UPVC replacement windows fitted at their own cost, but they will still get a bill for their share of the cost. Again, this comes under the terms of the lease."

The spokesman said that the leaseholders who have already replaced their windows should have at the time, according to the terms of the lease, sought permission from Accent, a condition imposed to avoid their present problem.

The spokesman said: "We are sympathetic and aware of leaseholders' concerns and we have called a special meeting next week to discuss everything. We believe we have acted in a responsible and caring manner."